Costs Are Par For Course For High School Golfers

They don`t get a uniform. They pay for their own equipment. Their home meets aren`t even on school grounds.

High school golfers are, nonetheless, members in good standing of the high school sports fraternity. It`s just that their circumstances aren`t all that much like that of their brothers-in-arms.

High school golfers are pretty much on their own competitively and financially. Sure, schools provide greens and entry fees, transportation, balls and even bags on some occasions. But for the most part, boys and girls who golf pay their own way, buying their equipment and often their uniform.

``Golf can be expensive, especially if you take it seriously,`` said New Trier golfer David Geake. ``You need to play tournaments in the summer if you want to be competitive and you have to spend money for the right equipment.

``My dad bought my clubs, but I`ve worked to make enough to pay for the other things I need. It`s been costly, but I`ll continue with golf for the rest of my life. It (the cost) has been worth it.``

Clubs are the most costly item for a player, with a price of $475-$900 for a complete set. But high school golfers have to shell out for many other things. Polo shirts, in school colors or with a team logo, are usually offered for sale. Some schools recycle shirts, but they aren`t as sturdy as, say, football jerseys.

The rest of the uniform-pants, caps or visors, jackets, sweaters or skirts for the girls-usually comes out of the player`s closet.

Shoes can also be costly, at up to $150, but some kids just use everyday footwear. Any extra balls beyond the one or two a round provided by the school are a golfer`s responsibility, as is other equipment, such as tees, markers, towels and the like. New Trier keeps a stock of school umbrellas that it re-uses season after season; other schools do the same with team jackets.

New Trier also supplies bags, in team colors, for in-season use. ``To them,`` said New Trier boys coach Earle Metzger, ``that`s their uniform.``

``I haven`t bought a tee in 30 years,`` he said. ``Golfers leave enough of them on the course so the coach or the golfer can pick them up for free.`` Regardless of who pays what, golf is a costly proposition for both school and participants. Sharing the cost is one way to lessen the burden on all parties.

``Golf seems relatively low when you look at money figures, but it`s high in per-kid expenditures,`` said Ralph Heatherington, Wheaton-Warrenville South assistant principal and the boys golf coach. ``You can say high school golf is for everyone, but in order to be good, a kid has to work at it. That costs money.``

Heatherington said his school pays $215 per golfer for the 11 girls and 11 boys who are members of separate teams. That doesn`t include coaches`

salaries. Transportation, if buses are rented, means another $150-$200 for each trip.

At Maine West, the complete golf budget, including fees and transportation, is around $9,000 a year. With 14 golfers-there is no girls team-that`s around $642 each. The Warrior golfers must be transported from Des Plaines to Schaumburg Country Club for home meets. Greens fees there are $2,000 a year which, says Warriors` Athletic Director Dave Winter, ``is less than we pay for officials in some sports.``

``Our students don`t pay anything out of pocket except for equipment,``

said Conant Athletic Director Joe Schlender, whose school is typical of the other five in District 211. ``The sport isn`t as inexpensive as you think, although courses do give most of us (in the district) a rate. They`re still making money, though. None of us golf for free.``

Defending Class AA boys state champion St. Charles doesn`t pay greens fees. Those are donated, according to Saints` coach Rob Prentiss, by Burr Hill Golf Club in St. Charles. But the school pays $250 for the use of a driving range at Pheasant Run Resort.

New Trier golfers pay $185 for a full-season junior rate at the Winnetka Golf Club, a park district course. That carries into the high school golf season, so there`s no additional cost to the school for regular meets. Normally, the charge is $24 a player for weekdays and $27 on weekends. Some schools charge opponents on a per-golfer basis for each meet.

There are some schools where the costs have been prohibitive. At Proviso East, lower-level programs have been dropped for budgetary reasons. Pirates coach Carl Scafidi drives his players to meets at Country Lakes Country Club in Naperville, 25 miles from Maywood.